Unit 1-Question 3 Written in 1776, the Declaration of Independence is often claimed to be the most profound document in history. The Declaration of Independence was the first time the Natural Rights philosophy was used to claim that sovereignty resides in the people. This concept is profound because the rights of the people where based on a higher written law rather than laws made by a few select officials. The Declaration states that all men are created equal, as neither God nor nature has appointed some at birth to rule over others. In 1776 it was an astonishing act to argue that humans were politically equal. The right to rule must be based on agreement or a Social Contract. A Social Contract is a theory referring to the presumption of